Hines, Derek Steven

First Lieutenant Derek Steven Hines was a 25-year-old soldier from Newburyport, Massachusetts. He served with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, part of Task Force Bayonet based at Camp Ederle, Italy. Hines had previously deployed to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa before his assignment to Afghanistan.

On September 1, 2005, Hines was part of a patrol conducting a security operation in the mountainous Baylough district of Zabul province. According to military reports, his unit came under small-arms fire from enemy forces. Hines was shot and killed during this engagement.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2005, the conflict was marked by a resurgence of Taliban and insurgent activity, particularly in the country's southern and eastern provinces where U.S. and coalition forces conducted frequent counterinsurgency operations.

Following his death, Hines was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His body was returned to Massachusetts, where he was buried in his hometown.

Hines is remembered through the 1st Lt. Derek Hines Soldiers Assistance Fund, established to support the families of fallen service members from Massachusetts. His name is inscribed on the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston.

First Lieutenant Derek Hines was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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